Never, Ever
by Defying Gravity 9021
Summary: A puzzle has tens of pieces that fit together. Imagine if a couple had been switched around... if Olivia had fallen for Duke? Where does Viola fit in? Viola/Duke with major Olivia/Duke fluffage. Sebastian/Olivia.


_**Never, Ever: Chapter 1**_

_**Viola**_

Viola Hastings stared at the blank white wall in front of her. Her bright green eyes seemed focused on the random shapes of plaster, but if one looked closely, they had a distant, far away look to them, indicating that her mind was somewhere entirely else. And how could it not be?

Anyone would assume that Viola's life was, finally, after many months, completely drama-free. Her decision to masquerade as a boy at Illyria to show Cornwall that girls could in fact play soccer as well as boys set off a chain events that would affect her life, and those around her, vastly. She guessed she could consider herself blessed to have gotten such a happy ending. She had made friends she would keep for life – for example, Duke Orsino. She could tell him anything, and she knew she could always count on him for anything. He would even drop his girlfriend, Olivia Lennox, to come to her aid.

Olivia Lennox. When Viola had agreed to talk to her for Duke, she would have never guessed that Olivia would fall for Duke. She never would have guessed that the two would remain strong for an entire year. But at that point, Viola had been so caught up with soccer and hiding her true identity, she hadn't been able to focus on much else. Now that she was at Illyria as a girl, attending school with her twin brother Sebastian, rooming with Olivia, and maintaining her position on the boys' soccer team, Viola had a lot of time for her mind to wander.

And wander it did. It wasn't until a month after Viola settled into her regular routine at Illyria that she realized something that had been staring her in the face this entire time – she was in love with Duke Orsino. What the hell? How had she been so oblivious to her own feelings? The butterflies she got in her stomach every time she saw him, the shiver that ran through her entire body whenever she got near him… and god, when their bodies touched, she swore an electric current pulsated between the two of them. But it seemed that the current was one-sided, because Duke had never let on that he had felt anything for Viola. Sure, they were pretty friendly with each other, but all one had to do was see Duke and Olivia with each other and know they loved each other.

Viola thought back to the one night where she had ever considered telling Duke. It was two months ago, and one of those late nights she spent with Duke that Olivia had no idea about. Viola wasn't sure if Olivia would even care; she was so confident in herself and her relationship with Duke, as well as with Viola, that she would pass it off as nothing. That night, Viola and Duke had gotten a little drunk. Well, a lot drunk. It was the night after finals ended, giving them plenty of reason to celebrate. A couple of shots, some swigs of a tequila bottle, and they were completely wasted. At least they were contained to the confinement of Duke's room; who knows what they would have done in public?

They'd been laughing, Viola was sure of that. About what, she had no idea, but she'd found it so hilarious she was practically falling over. She remembered grabbing on to Duke, and they'd fallen on his bed, laughing hysterically. She might have even snorted while laughing; she had a bad habit of doing that. Anyways, so there they were on his bed, and she stopped laughing. The sexual tension was palpable, and Viola could think of no moment better. The great amounts of alcohol she'd consumed had certainly lowered her inhibitions, and as she lowered her face to Duke's, she was surprised to see his rising toward hers. Their lips touched for the briefest moment, and before she knew it, they were making out. His hands were in her hair, hers were around his neck, slipping lower and lower. The kiss was passionate yet tender, and Viola felt herself sinking into Duke. Their hands wandered, but Viola couldn't remember the next morning how far they had gone.

She woke up next to him on the bed, fully clothed. At least they hadn't done the dirty deed. She'd lied there for what seemed like hours, unable to remember exactly what they'd done. She had a killer headache, but was grateful she wasn't puking her guts out right now. She remembered kissing, and she remembered loving it. But when Duke woke twenty minutes later, he remembered nothing. If he did, he didn't show it, and Viola went back to her room, and everything was the same.

Staring at the wall now, Viola racked her brain for what to do. She was completely head over heels in love with Duke Orsino, and she was his best friend. He had a girlfriend he was totally in love with… what was she supposed to do? She could never break the two of them up; she was too close to Olivia, and she hoped, too good of a person to do that. She could never hurt Duke like that.

But what if Duke felt the same way about her? Viola knew this was just wishful thinking; for the year and a half they'd been friends, Duke had shown no hint of that, other than that one drunken night. And everyone knew what alcohol did to people; it made them do things they would never, ever do. So for now, Viola was keeping quiet as everyday, she watched the guy she loved be with one of her best friends.

* * *

I just thought this idea up last night, and this is the first story I've written in years. Please R&R! Try not to be too harsh, but criticism and of course, compliments are welcome. I'm not totally sure where this story is going yet, I wrote this ten minutes ago.


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